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Model Factory Hiro 1/43 Alfa TZ2


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Well here goes: for a long time I've lusted after the Alfa Romeo TZ2 sports racer and wanted to build one too. Kits are limited and just two take my fancy: the MFH kits in 1/43 and 1/24. For now I'll have to make do with the small one!

 

So here is what the full-sized car looks like: seen at Goodwood Festival of Speed a few years ago and owned by David Sydorick. Only 12 TZ2s were built, so it's a rare beast.

 

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MFH sell themselves short on their website by showing the kit like this:

 

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Actually there are a LOT more parts to this kit than that. I put them all on my flatbed scanner to show exactly how many. First off the metal bits:

 

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Then the photoetch:

 

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Then the turned wheels and the tyres:

 

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Decals:

 

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Just realised that I didn't include the clear parts: you get headlight lenses, windscreens all round, plus a few ducts. More in a bit...

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So the kit I chose was the 1966 Targa Florio version, with all four cars being offered in the decals. Atypically for MFH however, their decals are a incorrect in a few places, with the car numbers standardised, whereas in reality a guy hand-painted these numbers in the paddock and thus they were far from standard in reality. Below is the kit scheme at left and my interpretation at right:

 

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Notably, cars 124, 126 and 130 had a white line painted on their fuel filler panels (RH side on the rear flank); and the 126 car had a larger roof number than the rest. No.126 also had 'VI' painted on the rear deck and it's not depicted in the kit. All of the cars show variable positions for bonnet and roof numbers too. Niggling really, but easy enough to overcome. 

 

I've chosen car No.114, driven by Teodoro Zeccoli and 'Geki', which finished 13th out of 44 finishers and 26 non-finishers.

 

 

Edited by Sabrejet
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Beautiful car, great kit.

 

I will be interested in seeing you build at this scale and this level of detail. I have found building at 1/12th a challenge.  You are a braver man than I.

 

You have my attention.

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Mine too. The kit has a surprising number of parts for the scale it's in. Should be an interesting build!

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It's amazing, just how many tiny parts are in these wonderful MFH kits!! For such a small scale, the detailing is incredible.... hat's off to Mr Hiro San!!

You're a far braver man than I.

Looking forward to watching your progress!

 

Cheers, H

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Well here goes. Not sure how long this will take, but on the basis that I'm paying for time well-spent then hopefully it will take a good while! There was a bit of cleaning up, drilling out of holes (0.5mm) and straightening-out but so far the chassis looks OK I think. The anti-roll bars (thin nickel wire) are bent to a template supplied on the photo-etc. I think there are around 10 pieces in this assembly so far. Front is at left.

 

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1 hour ago, JeroenS said:

I'm curious: what are the measurements from front to back?

So far it's dead on 70mm. It will end up a bit bigger because there's a fuel tank to go at the back and a bit more at the front. I'd say it'll end up about 85mm long max.

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1 minute ago, Sabrejet said:

So far it's dead on 70mm. It will end up a bit bigger because there's a fuel tank to go at the back and a bit more at the front. I'd say it'll end up about 85mm long max.

Right, that is really quite small. Tweezers and reading glasses recommended 😄

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Small side-project: wheels and tyres. MFH provide white metal centres and very neat machined alloy rims: on the real car it's a one-piece, painted rim and I've seen silver and goldish-silver versions. For a bit of variety I am going for the latter. The spare wheel/tyre (which fits in the rear, beneath the rear screen) is supplied as an all-metal piece while the other four have separate vinyl covers.

 

So first off, wheels assembled and cleaned-up:

 

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Then primed: the detail on the inner rim and tyre tread is incredible:

 

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And finally a coat of off-silver, wash and then silver-painted wheel nuts. Tyres need a bit of a wash and I'll paint the tyre of the spare later.

 

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First paint on the chassis bits: clockwise from top: rear subframe; fuel tank; subframe supports; diff housing; drive shafts & springs; brake discs; brake calipers and prop shaft:

 

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Diff Housing with brake calipers mounted (inboard brakes for low unsprung weight):

 

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And a bit of scale: that's a fingertip, not a thumb!

 

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Wow, the metal parts especially the tubular framework looks amazing. The detail would be excellent if it were 1/24. I steer clear of 1/43, 1/32 limits my ambitions. Basically you can get anything you want in 1/43 for a price and I would be destitute and homeless within the year!

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The weather has been far too nice for modelling but I did do a few dry-fit checks, just as morale boosters: wheels on:

 

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And basic engine/gearbox fit:

 

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And then finally the bodywork. So far it all seems to fit perfectly!

 

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Thanks for looking.

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  • 3 weeks later...

After a bit of a fine-weather hiatus I managed to get a bit more done: to the engine. First off, an absolutely MINUTE Alfa Romeo logo (PE), which somehow managed to avoid the carpet monster and on to the rocker cover:

 

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Engine bits coming together - I also managed to wire the distributor (top left) without expending any drills. Major achievement. Each part will receive a light coat of Tamiya Smoke to bring out the detail.

 

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The engine is leant-over on the actual car (to allow a lower bonnet line) and so the sump is inclined at a similar angle. It all look a bit weird but it will look better in the car. Anyway I managed to get the major bits together and wired up the spark plugs too:

 

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Finally for today I decided to give the engine a trial fit in the chassis and all looked good, bar a few tweaks:

 

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At which point, trying to get a better photograph, I dropped the whole lot. Yes - dropped it. On the floor. Complete fumble. Since the wheels were only on there loosely, they did what wheels do and let the whole chassis and engine roll off the metal sheet I was photographing it on. Beginners mistake: I should have engaged the handbrake and put it in gear!

 

So it's now in a few major pieces and looking very bent and sorry for itself. Not sure what the next step is - if any, but suffice to say I have closed the door on the model room and will take a look in there when I think I can take it. Or when I convince myself that it didn't really happen. 

 

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That's gutting, but so long as it just broke and didn't bend, judging by the skill you've shown in building it in the first place I'm sure you can pull it back to looking right,

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